Caulking compound



NOV 17, 1964 R. w. HoEPF-El. ETAL. 3,157,520

CAULKING COMPOUND Filed June 13. 1961 United States Patent O 3,157,520 CAULKING COMPOUND Ray W. Hoeppel, Box 5, Oak View, Calif.; and Elmo S. Sorenson and Jerry E. Sorenson, both of 2002 Laird Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah Filed June 13, 1961, Ser. No. 116,766 1 Claim. (Cl. 106-33) This invention relates to a caulking compound and to a process and apparatus for manufacturing said compound.

While it is known to use hemp fiber mixed with bentonite and perhaps an oil either with or Without a woven fiber sheath in the manufacture of caulking compounds, it is found that such compounds tend to dry out in storage and the powdery bentonite dusts off the surface rendering the compound less and less effective in use.

It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a caulking compound which overcomes the tendency of the product to dry out and dust off.

The known fiber and bentonite compounds available have the fibers twisted into a rope or enclosed in an impervious sheath which makes removal difficult. It is a feature of this invention that the fibers are laid substantially parallel to each other, enabling one to add or remove fibers with ease. !Qauiking-comp-oundsgsuch as the present invention are used in pipes or conduits containing water and are thus subject to deterioration due to rotting. To obviate this the present invention has for an object the incorporation of a preservative such as paraformaldehyde or an equivalent.

As will be pointed out hereinafter, the invention includes ingredients within quite critically defined ratios and the invention therefore includes a method and apparatus for forming the compound consisting of fiber strands compounded with stated materials in substantially parallel relation and within the stated proportions.

These and other objects, features and advantages appear in the following specification in which:

The single feature is a diagrammatic illustration of apparatus for performing the process and manufacturing the product of this invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, fibers, preferably hemp, are drawn from spools 1 into a vat 2 under a roller 11 where they are soaked in an aqueous solution. In addition to Water the vat 2 may contain solids such as bentonite, organic glutinates and a humectant. Thence the strands pass through spring biased rolls 3 which squeeze out excess moisture, the excess solution returning to vat 2. The spring biased rolls 3 are preferably power driven. Maintaining the moisture content within the desired range is accomplished by controlling the pressure applied by rolls 3.

From rolls 3 the wet fibers pass over rolls 5 which may or may not be power driven, having passed upwards through a bed of powdered dry clay 4. There are many clays which may be used, all sometimes classified as bentonites, though it is arguable that this term should be reserved to clays from Benton, Wyoming. However, as used here bentonite includes all of the clays capable of swelling when exposed to water and of absorbing at least four times their weight in water. This includes spegggtrubonatew,r

ice

cifically montmorillonite, illite, saponite and hectorite, with hectorite being the preferred bentonite.

From powered rolls 5 the powdered fibers pass through a funnel 6 which arranges them in substantially parallel relation and while passing through the funnel 6 the bers may receive a control spray for humectant or bonding agent, preferably either Sorbitol or glycerine. In the tubular section 8 and in tubes 12 and 13 the fibers are compressed into a single strand 14.

Depending on the number of fibers fed from rolls 1 cords of varying sizes are thus made up. In practice cords of 7/16, 1/2 and W16 have been made.

From the funnel 6 the strand 12 passes around a power driven roll 15 and thence to a vat 16 containing a bed of powdered whitening agent, which may be more bentonite or a non-swelling material such as floured asbestos, wood fiour or the like to give a white outside appearance.

Finally, the impregnated strand passes to reels where it is wound up for packaging.

As stated above a preservative such as paraformaldehyde is desired. This may be mixed with the bentonite in section 4 in the desired proportions, as may also be a small amount of a phytocide and fungiciudrewsuch as copper The resultant product is a cord of fibers impregnated with bentonite, bonded together with a humectant which prevents loss of the water picked up in vat 2 and preserved from rotting, fungus or plant growth by the paraformaldehyde and copper carbonate.

The permissible ranges of the components are as follows:

It will be noted that the most significant change in the second example is the proportionate increase in the humectant. The function of this substance in the compound being to retain the moisture, the proportion of humectant should be increased in dry or arid climates.

While there has been described what is at present considered a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention and it is intended to cover herein all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claim.

We claim:

A caulking compound consisting essentially of substantially hemp fiber 37.5%; hectorite 37.5%; sorbitol 15%; water 8%; paraformaldehyde 1%; and coppgr carbonate 1%.

4 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,896,611 Cross Feb. 7, 1933 1,906,749 Grant May 2, 1933 2,580,025 Holmes Dec. 25, 1951 2,778,404 Macy et al. Ian. 22, 1957 2,834,704 Lawrence May 13, 1958 2,922,540 Krobath Ian. 26, 1960 2,955,945 Emond Oct. l1, 1960 2,966,935 Wilshire Jan. 3, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, sixth edition, Reinhold Pub. Corp., New York, 1961, QD 5. C5, pages 300 and 848 relied on. 

